Auxiliary air-supply device for internal-combustion engines.



H. C. GILLIAM.

AUXILIARY AIR SUPPLY DEvlcE FOR INTERNAL coMBusTloN ENGlNEs.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE I5. 1916.

Patented Nov. 7, 1916.

Wl TNESSES carica v HUGH C. GILLIAM, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA,ASSIG-NOR 0F ONE-THIRD TO yFRANK H. PREBLE AND ONE-THIRD TO FLORENCE J'.DENTEL, BOTH OF PHILADEL- PHI'A., PENNSYLVANIA.

AUXILIAIRY AIR-SUPPLY DEVICE FOR INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINES.

Specification of Letteis Patent.

)Patented N ov. 7, 1916.

Application filed June 15, 1916. Serial No. 103,835.

To all whom t may concern Be it known that I, HUGH C. GILLIAM, a citizenof the United States, and a resident of Philadelphia, in the county ofPhiladelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have 1 nvented a new andImproved Auxiliary Air- Supply Device for Internal-Combustion Engines,of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to controlling devices for internal combustionengines and particularly to an improved device f or supplying airthereto, and has for an ob]ect the provision of means which will supplyair 1n any desired' quantity to the engine, the same being connected tothe manifold between the carbureter and engine so as to dilute themixture before its entrance into the engine..

Another object in view is to provlde a valve structure connected to theintake manifold of an engine, the same being arranged to be quickly andeasily adjusted for supplying different quantities of air as the samemay be needed.

A still further object in view is to provide a valve which is simple andstrong in 1ts construction and which is made of a minimum number ofparts so as to reduce to a minimum any chance of getting out of order.

In the accompanying .drawing z-Figure 1 is a fragmentary view of theengine and steering wheel of an automobile, an embodiment of theinvention being shown in connection therewith. Fig. 2 is a plan view ofthe valve embodying the invention. Fig. 3 is a section through Fig. 2 online 3- 3. Fig. 4 is a section through Fig. 3 on line Referring to theaccompanying drawing by numerals, 1 indicates an internal .combustionengine of any desired kind, which is supplied with an explosive mixtureby the carbureter 2, the mixture passing through a manifold pipe 3 tothe various branches 4. The detail construction of the manifold, theengine and the carbureter form no part of the present invention.Connected to the pipe 3 in any suitable manner 1s an a1r plpe or tube 5which is preferably of suiiicient length to extend to near the steeringwheel 6 of the automobile. A valve 7 is connected with the post 8 ofwheel 6 by any means, as for instance, a clamping band 9, so that thevalve willbe at a convenient point for operation by the driver. Theintention is to supply an auxiliary or extra supply of air to thecylinders of the engine whenever deslred. By experiments it has beenfound that after an engine has been running for some time and hasattained such speed as to heat the cylinders, asupply of fresh air intothe manifold between the carburcter and the cylinders will result inproducing a better explosion and, consequently, the production of morepower. If the extra speed produced by the additional power is notdesired the fuel supply may be reduced so that the explosive mixturefrom the carbureter 2 will not be in such great quantities.

The detail construction of the valve 7 is shown in Figs. 2, 3 and 4, inwhich it will be observed that the valve is formed of a minimum numberof parts and the parts are so arranged as not to readily get out oforder. The valve 7 is provided with an upper section 10 and a lowersection 11, the lower section being provided with arms 12 to which theband 9 is connected when the valve is applied. The sections 10 and 11are screwed together, as shown in Fig. 3, so as to provide a chamber 13into which air is admitted on the turning of the, disk valve 14. Thedisk valve 14 is provided with an annular valve seat 15 bearing againstthe upper face of the end 16 of section 10, said upper face beingpreferably ground to produce a reasonably smooth surface which coactswith the valve seat 15 for producing a substantially airtight joint. Thedisk valve 14 is provided with an overlapping depending annular flange17 which slidingly fits against the outer surface of the section 10,said flange being cut away for approximately half a circle, as shown inFig. 4, whereby shoulders 18 and 19 areY produced, said shoulders beingdesigned to strike against the pointer 20 which has a finger 21overlapping the disk valve 14, as shown in Fig. 2, for indicating therelative position of said valve. The pointer 20 is secured to thesection 10 by any suitable means and acts in the double capacity of apointer, as shown in Fig. 2, and as a stop, as shown more particularlyin Fig. 4. The top of section 10 is provided with an arc-shaped slot 22which remains fixed or stationary when the section is screwed intoplace, as shown in Fig. 3.

The dist' valve 14 is provided with a number of' apertures 23 which areof diHerent sizes, gradually increasing from one end of the series ofapertures to the other, each aperture being numbered as shown in Fig. 2so that the operator may see how-much air is being admitted. Forinstance, when the engine is first started the disk valve 14 ispositioned as shown in Fig. 2, namely, closed, and is maintained in thisposition until the engine has become heated and is moving at anappreciable speed. The disk valve 14 is then moved until, for instance,the first aperture 23 registers with the slot 22. This will allow acertain quantity of air to enter the engine without passing through thecarbureter. The disk valve 14 is later moved to expose the nextaperture, and so on, until asuicientquantity of air is being admitted.In order that the valve seat 15 of the disk valve 14 may fit more orless tightly against the top 16 of section 10 a resilient washer 24 isprovided which is maintained under tension by a nut 25, said nutengaging a threaded extension 26 projecting from the top 16. Alsosection 11 is provided with a tubular extension 27 roughened onthe-exterior or threaded on the -inside for receiving one end of thehose or pipe 5, said connection being protected by a thimble or sleeve28 held in place on section 11 by friction or any other suitable way.

The particular construction and arrangement shown and described act verymuch in the nature of an accelerator, though the device does not forceinto or inject in anynvay any additional gas. The admission of an extrasupply of air by the valve 7 causes a better combustion and causes amore complete utilization of the gases already supplied by thecarbureter 2, whereby to get the same speed a less quantity of fuel maybe supplied by said carbureter. The valve 7 has been described as beingconnected to the steering post 8 near wheel 6, but it is evident thatthe same may be arranged adjacent the seat of the driver or at any otherdesired place without departing from the spirit of the invention.

What I claim is:

1. In a valve structure for admitting air to the manifold of anexplosive engine, a pair of sections removably connected together, thelower section being formed with an extension for receiving a connectinghose and the upper section being formed with an arc-shaped slot, a diskvalve arranged on said upper section provided with a plurality of'openings and an annular bead forming a valve seat, said openingsextending through said valve seat, and means for holding said valve seatagainst said upper section.

2. In a valve of the character described, an upper section, a lowersection threaded to said upper section. means for connecting a hose tosaid lower section, said upper section being formed with an arc-shapedslot and with a ground upper face, a disk valve member provided with aprojecting annular bead formed with a ground seat fitting on said uppersection, said seat covering said slot, said disk valve member beingprovided with an opening extending through said valve seat, said diskvalve member being rotatable so that said openings may be brought intoregistry with said slot and moved out of registry, and means forlimiting the rotary movement of said disk valve A member.

3. In a valve of the character described, a hollow body provided with anarc-shaped opening in the top, a disk valve member fitting on said body,said disk valve member being formed with a depending flange having anotch extending for approximately one-half of its circumference wherebytwo shoulders are produced, a series of openings adapted to be broughtinto registry with said slot, said openings increasing in size from oneend of the series to the other, a seat, a combined pointer and stopconnected with'said body to strike against said shoulders for limitingthe rotary movement of said disk valve member, and resilient meansfor-pressing said disk valve member against said bod y HUGH C. GILLIAM.

